Voter caging

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Voter caging is a colloquial term used in the United States referring to a campaign activity used to remove, or attempt to remove, targeted voters from official lists of registered voters. It occurs when a non-governmental organization, such as a political party or a campaign, sends first-class mail to registered voters, in order to compile a so-called "challenge list" of the names of those whose letters are returned undelivered. The fact that the mail was returned as undeliverable may be seen as either proof, or strong evidence of, the person no longer residing at the address on their voter registration. The challenge list is presented to election officials with the suggestion that the officials should purge these names from the voter registration rolls or to challenge voters' eligibility to vote on the grounds that the voters no longer reside at their registered addresses.^{[1][2]: 129}

The phrase "voter caging" came about as a metaphorical extension of the benign term "caging" that is used in the direct mail industry.

In the United States, official government election offices are required to periodically maintain and update their lists of registered voters. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Fair Fight Action periodically take to the courts to challenge the methods used by official government election offices to maintain their lists. Some list maintenance tactics are prohibited by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.